Angels May Pitch Camp Full Time in Phoenix Area

After listening to multi-million dollar enticements from Florida and studying proposals to upgrade the existing facility in Palm Springs, the Angels have set their sights on Arizona as the future site of their full-time spring training operation.

At a meeting of Arizona Gov. Rose Mofford’s Task Force on Cactus League Baseball Thursday in Phoenix, Angel officials said they are looking in the Phoenix-Scottsdale-Mesa area for a new spring training facility that would include a 6,000- to 8,000-seat stadium and four or five practice fields.

“We are very anxious to reach a tentative agreement with someone for a new site,” Angels vice president Michael Schreter told The Associated Press. “It would really be something new and exciting.”

Currently, the Angels split spring training between Mesa and Palm Springs, making them the only team in the major leagues with two training sites. The Angels spend the first month in Mesa before moving to Palm Springs for the final two weeks of exhibitions.

But the annual move between the two sites is costly and the Angels have grown dissatisfied with the present accommodations at Palm Springs. Angels Stadium, the regular-season home of the Class A Palm Springs Angels, seats 6,000 and has just 1 1/2 practice fields.

The Angels’ working agreement with Palm Springs expires after next spring.

“We’ve just outgrown Palm Springs,” said Tim Mead, an Angel spokesman. “The instruction we can give our players in Palm Springs is limited and by keeping spring training (camp) in one place, we can cut travel and save expenses.”

The Angels want their new facility ready by February 1990.